Pink turned green in a major way this summer when Barbie proved to be a dreamhouse-sized hit with audiences, raking in $636 million domestically to easily become the highest-grossing film of the year. On top of that, its $1.4 billion worldwide haul put it in the all-time top 15. With numbers like that, you can bet there will be a sequel – unless Barbie herself gets a say.
Speaking with The Associated Press (via EW), Margot Robbie nixed the idea of a potential Barbie sequel, saying so much went into the film that there doesn’t seem to be a need. “I think we put everything we had into this one..We didn’t build it to be a trilogy or something. [Director] Greta [Gerwig] put everything into this movie, so I can’t imagine what would be next.” Indeed, neither Robbie, Gerwig nor Ryan Gosling signed on for a sequel when Barbie was scaling the box office.
The team’s apparent lack of enthusiasm for a Barbie sequel is both refreshing and humble. Gerwig herself shot down overall sequel talk soon after the movie’s release, saying, “I feel like that at the end of every movie, like I’ll never have another idea and everything I’ve ever wanted to do, I did. I wouldn’t want to squash anybody else’s dream, but for me, at this moment, I’m at totally zero.” Sure, there could be plenty for the various Barbies and Kens to explore, but a lot of plastic ground was covered in Barbie that could have taken up subplots in a sequel. In other terms, Robbie, Gosling and Gerwig don’t seem to be easily swayed by another paycheck just because it’s sitting right there. Robbie herself was poised to take in $50 million through salary and box office kickback as star and producer of Barbie. Now there’s a swift kick to all that Kenergy going around!
Notably, nearly every one of the other films in the aforementioned top 15 either was or got a sequel (save Titanic). The second top earner of 2023, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, has yet to be confirmed for a sequel but it’s almost a guarantee that Universal and Illumination will power up for one.
Do you think Barbie could use a sequel or does it work as a standalone movie? If you had to guess, will it spawn a second installment? Give us your thoughts in the comments section below.